Paint and Wine Locations and Branding

Customers at "The Paint & Wine Studio"
often drive nearly an hour to attend, passing
up several "sip & paint" businesses along
the way. It's all because of our unique brand.

One of the things I hear most often from callers is "there aren't any sip and paint businesses or franchises in our town yet", or, "there's only one and they do a lot of business". That's a fine observation, and it's important to be aware of your environment in the business marketplace, but existing presence should not be the deciding factor in whether to open a "sip and paint" oriented business-- or any other type of business, for that matter.

I like to use the analogy of an Italian restaurant, and you probably have a few of these in your own town. Maybe the simplest level is a "Fazoli's" franchise, drive-thru and all. It's Italian, fast-food style. There might be a sort of small "family-operated" eatery within minutes, not fancy but the food can't be beat, especially for the price. And then you have the "high-end" establishment, which is usually a restaurant named "Tony's", it is in St. Louis, Missouri, my hometown, where there's no lack of Italian dining establishments.

Put yourself in the customer's position-- in this scenario you have never eaten Italian food, and driving by a "Fazoli's" franchise you hit the drive-thru and enjoy spaghetti for the first time. It was quick, convenient, in a nearby location and served its purpose. Your friend mentions a Fazoli's near her house, 20 minutes across town. Will you drive there to try it? No, because the successful model of a franchised business is that you know what you're getting no matter where that restaurant or store is -- it should all be the same. You're not driving 20 minutes only to get the same food and service when it's right next door!

But, having a literal hunger to discover what else is offered in the world of Italian food, you ask your friend if they know of any other eateries -- you've already been to the franchise, you know how that tastes. Your friend mentions a "hole in the wall with the best sauce I've ever had", and you make a beeline for it. You're amazed that such a small, family-operated business can churn out such unique and delicious Italian food. Unbeknownst to Fazoli's, they just turned you on to the best marinara sauce in town by existing in the first place, and have probably lost you as a customer.

With a family event impending, and not wanting to take them to the very casual "hole in the wall", you seek out fine dining, Italian style, and phone your friend. "Go to Tony's and you'll think you're in Italy -- they have beautiful canvas paintings on the wall, the finest china and service, the food is presented as art itself, and you can even sit in an actual gondola, imported from Italy, while drinking wine -- it's heaven, a 45 minute drive for you, but the experience of a lifetime!" You could do that or take the family to the Fazoli's franchise, so the choice is obvious.

You may only get to go to "Tony's" twice a year because of the higher price and longer drive, but everyone in the radius is willing to drive the distance and pay more for the experience, so they do good volume. Tony's doesn't care where Fazoli's opens another franchise, in fact, they're happy when another Italian business opens because it leads customers on a trail -- straight to Tony's.

The moral of the story is that business branding, not franchising, is the key to success in any business. To be a success in the "paint and wine" business you need to be different from the rest, not a mere copycat of a franchise, because if you are, your potential customers might as well go to the franchised business -- they know what they get there.

Branding and developing unique paint and wine as well as other "art and entertainment" businesses is just one of our specialties offered through "The Paint & Wine Studio". Please visit this link for more information.

Paint & Wine Studio Business Consulting